Suspected cattle thief arrested in Holmes County
HOLMESVILLE (WJER) (August 11, 2022) – Holmes County authorities believe they’ve caught their cattle rustler.
Sheriff Tim Zimmerly says his office has arrested a suspect in the thefts of about eight Black Angus and Holstein heifers that were stolen from at least two cattle fields in the western portion of the county in recent days.
He says tips from the public about someone selling those types of cows, and the tags in the cows’ ears, helped lead to the arrest of a Holmes County resident.
“Actually, Mount Hope Auction had called us and said they thought they had sold the cows, so they had video and we tracked it down that way,” Zimmerly said.
Unfortunately, not all the cattle owners will get their livestock back. Zimmerly says some had already been taken to the slaughterhouse.
Zimmerly says the suspect is being held in the Holmes County Jail on a charge of receiving stolen property, with additional charges pending. He believes the thefts occurred at night.
“Basically, you have to have a livestock trailer and a vehicle to pull it. Just open a gate and I guess load them up. That’s kind of what they did,” Zimmerly said.
Zimmerly was speaking from the Holmes County Fair and didn’t have all the details in front of him. He plans to provide the suspect’s name and other information in a news release later today.